"I saw too many players today in the locker room who probably don't care that we get out of the playoffs. That's something that really pisses me off, when you see players who like, don't care, and just go home now and think, 'Okay, nice, I have a vacation in front of me.'
"I'm not a player like this. This will stay a lot with me. The 2022 MLS Cup stayed a lot with me, a couple of weeks. So I think that's even worse today, probably, to not make the playoffs."
That was Philly’s left back, Kai Wagner, after the season-ending Decision Day loss to FC Cincinnati on Saturday night. It feels safe to say that the Union’s culture, which had been so strong for so long, has crumbled at least a little bit.
Let’s dive in:
Here is how Jakob Glesnes started the year:
Here is how he finished it:
It was more than just Glesnes. Jack Elliott had a few shockers, as did the fullbacks, now-departed d-mid José Martínez and the goalkeepers. Everybody on this team – guys who had been so reliable for so long – had a habit of tripping over their own feet in big moments.
Other than that, they were honestly pretty good! On a game-to-game basis, they looked much more like a 50-point team than a 37-point team, and have both the goal differential (+7) and underlying numbers to match.
They were just soft and sloppy when it counted. And it was more because of the veterans than something to blame on any sort of youth movement.
Tai Baribo finished cold – no goals or assists over the final four games as the Union hit their death spiral. But his overall numbers for 2024 still sing: 16g/2a in about 1,900 minutes across the regular season and Leagues Cup. And it doesn’t feel flukey, as he’s in the 97th percentile among forwards in non-penalty xG (which basically just means he’s genius-level at finding the one-touch box finishes that consistent goalscoring is made of).
Head coach Jim Curtin put his hand up and took the blame for not integrating Baribo earlier. It was a bad mistake.
Anyway, between Baribo and No. 10 Dániel Gazdag, the Union will have two proven goalscorers returning. Do they consider DP No. 9 Mikael Uhre, whose 2025 option was automatically triggered this summer, to be the third? Or do they bring in a young player to get minutes over him and use Uhre as a super-sub?
I have my suspicions it'll be the latter.
Nathan Harriel outright won the right-back job, and has the profile of a guy who’ll be a high-level MLS lifer.
Quinn Sullivan was awesome. I always knew he’d be a winning, energetic two-way player, but I had no idea he’d bring real end product (5g/11a), right up to and including on the final day of the season:
Quinn’s younger brother, Cavan, broke Freddy Adu’s record to become the youngest debutant in MLS history (and was excellent in MLS NEXT Pro). 18-year-old goalkeeper Andrew Rick was wonderful in NEXT Pro and did not look remotely out of his depth in 540 minutes with the first team.
Jack McGlynn… he had 11 goal contributions (4g/7a). That’s very good for a guy who’s not strictly an attacker.
In terms of all-around contributions, though, I think you could call McGlynn’s season disappointing. There were too many olé-level defensive efforts and the more I watch him play, the more convinced I am that his destiny is to become a classic, South American-style No. 10 rather than any kind of shuttler or regista.
Regardless, the core philosophy of the club is still visible, and still beneficial. The kids were not the problem this year.
- Tai Baribo (FW): A pure creature of the box who works hard defensively, too.
- Dániel Gazdag (AM): Not a true playmaker, but the man clearly knows where the goal is and is more than just a penalty merchant.
- Quinn Sullivan (M): I think he’s the next Alejandro Bedoya – a two-way midfielder who can slot in and add value anywhere.
- Jakob Glesnes (CB): Awful season, but I’d wager quite a bit he’ll bounce back. The one thing we’ve learned over the years is that it’s dumb to give up on a proven MLS center back in his prime.
- Jack Elliott (CB): Awful season, but I’d wager quite a bit he’ll bounce back. The one thing we’ve learned over the years is that it’s dumb to give up on a proven MLS center back in his prime.
If it was me, I’d move Gazdag up to play forward alongside Baribo, put McGlynn at the No. 10 and change the game model to something more possession-oriented. It’s hard to remember this now, but before the arrival of sporting director Ernst Tanner, that’s who the Union were – a high-possession side that looked much more Dutch (Earnie Stewart was the CSO!) than German.
I don’t think there’s a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening, though. So there are three big questions:
- Do any of the kids (McGlynn, Harriel, Quinn Sullivan) get sold?
- Does Tanner give the CBs a chance at a redemption year?
- Is there room in the budget for a third DP or a U22 signing who could bring top-end quality?
I’m more than a little worried about Andre Blake’s health, but I like the backups. Wagner at left back remains one of the best in the league, and I’m looking forward to a full year of Danley Jean Jacques. There’s a lot to be optimistic about.
But there are no realistic hopes for a trophy if there isn't a return to form by the center backs and an infusion of top-end talent in the attack. Philly, to me, are multiple pieces away, and their actions in this coming window have to reflect that truth.
Last winter, Tanner made a big bet on the core group having one more great year in them and lost. This winter he won’t make that same mistake. Changes are coming.
